The Chase
by KewlKat
Summary: Okay this is not a FINISHED story. I got a kind of writers block on this guy. Which is driving me crazy because it looks like this story might turn out to be good one. *screams in frustration and pounds fist on desk* OW! Anyway, just R/R. Give me so


Rachel tossed and turned in her bed

_ _

Rachel tossed and turned in her bed.She groaned and then let out a terrified scream.Her mother came quickly down the hall and entered her daughter's room.She flicked on the light and sat on the soft bed next to Rachel.She put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and gently shook her awake.

"Rachel, honey wake up.It's okay," Naomi said in a soft hush.I wonder why she's been having all these horrible nightmares.I wish she would tell me what's going on. Naomi thought as she looked down at the terrified girl.

Rachel's eyes flew open and she sat straight up and shouted,"Help me help me!" And then, waking up fully, she noticed her mother holding her shoulders looking worriedly into her terror filled eyes. 

"Are you awake sweetie?" her mother said with a concerned voice.What on earth could she have been dreaming of?

"Yeah . . . I'm. .I'm fine.Just a bad nightmare," Rachel said, brushing back a strand of her blonde hair out of her face with a shaky hand.

"Are you sure you're okay?Do you want me to sit here for a while?"

"No mom, I'm fine really.Just a bad dream, that's all.Go back to bed, I'm fine."

"Okay . . . if you're sure . . ."

"Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight Rachel," her mother said wrapping her in a big hug and kissing her lightly on her forehead before getting up.When she reached the doorway she flicked off the light with a soft click and turned and said,

"I love you."

"Love you too," whispered Rachel as she tried to hold back the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

With that, Naomi walked out of Rachel's bedroom wondering again what could possibly cause Rachel to have such awful nightmares.

As her mother eased the door shut, Rachel turned over and buried her face into her clammy pillow.She let out a muffled scream of frustration and fear.Too much, this was all too much.I can't take much more of this!Rachel thought angrily as she pulled away from the pillow.She again, felt tears well up in her eyes and this time she couldn't hold them back.Quickly she rubbed them away with heel of her palm.No, she would not cry.She had a feeling that if she started to now, she might never stop.

She lay back down, and her thoughts drifted back toward her awful dream and her being an Animorph.She was sick of the tedious battles and the horrible nightmares that followed.This last nightmare had been a reoccurring one, and she was having it more and more often.

In the dream she and the Animorphs had been in yet another battle.Rachel had been fighting off several Hork-Bajir and had been backed into a cage.The cage closed on her and she couldn't escape or move for that matter, and she was forced to watch helplessly as her friends one by one, be killed until she was the only one left.And in the last part of her dream a Hork-Bajir comes over with a Yeerk reserved just for her and she screams for someone to help her as they lower the slimy slug to her ear.

She kneaded her temples and gritted her teeth, trying to erase the horrible images from her mind.As she stared up at her dark ceiling she forced herself to think about something more pleasant, failing that, her thoughts drifted to the night when she and the rest of her friend's lives were changed forever and how they had had to grow up so fast.It was sad and depressing to think about.She shook herself.So don't think about it and stop pitying yourself and get over it.Things happen, and there's nothing you can do but press right on through, and to just keep going and hope that everything will work out.Stop pitying yourself and move on.Pity gets you nowhere.She thought angrily to herself.

Rachel didn't think that she'd ever get back to sleep with all the crazy thoughts and memories running through her head, but soon enough her eyelids grew heavy and she again, slipped over the edge of consciousness, and into the dark abyss of sleep.

"Oops I did it again!" caterwauled the radio/alarm clock, which rang annoyingly in Rachel's ear.

She turned over, balled her hand into a fist, and viciously beat her alarm clock into blessed silence.There is no way it can be time to get up all ready.The clock must be off.She rolled over and looked out the window.The bright blaze of the shining morning sun brought her hopes of an extra hour or two of sleep crashing down.She groaned softly and swung her legs over the side of her bed.Squinting, and with much effort, she walked slowly to the bathroom; like a corpse that had just laboriously pulled itself out of its dark resting place. 

She was just soaping up her hair and grumbling about how school shouldn't be allowed, when she heard her phone start to ring.Great, just great, the person who's calling better have a good reason to be doing so or they are going to be having a very bad day.Rachel thought grumpily as she grabbed a towel and ran hurriedly into her room.Before she got to her phone, her feet lost there grip on the floor which sent her skidding across the hard wood floor, all the while wind milling her arms through the air like an inexperienced ice skater about to fall on her butt.She came to a sudden halt as her shin connected painfully with her small nightstand. 

I swear if it's a sales person, that guy is going to wish he never hooked up with that job when he's through with me. She thought crossly as she rubbed her sore leg.She picked up the receiver and said in a rather sharp tone,

"Hello?"

"Hi Rach," It was Cassie.

"What's up?" Rachel said in a calmer voice.Yeah, what _is_ up?

"Can you stop by my place before school?Because my cousin really wants to meet you before he has to leave town today," said Cassie hurriedly.Then she said even more quickly, "Please?He has something really important to tell you and get there as soon as possible."

"Sure Cass.I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thanks," she said and hung up.

I wonder why Erek needs to talk to us so urgently.It must be pretty bad.Cassie sounded worried.Rachel thought as she dried off and changed quickly into her morphing outfit.She then headed down the stairs to the kitchen and scribbled a note telling her mom that she was leaving to school early to finish up a project.Rachel tiptoed back up to her room and morphed to eagle and launched herself out of her window, towards Cassie's.

"Hey Rachel!Are you ready for our next round of fear, pain, and basic corruption of our souls?And, oh nice chicken legs, is that a new Calvin Klein fad something?" Marco asked brightly from his usual sitting spot atop some bales of hay.

"Shut up Marco," Rachel grumbled as she finished demorphing.She glanced around.She saw Cassie giving a shot to a very angry and scared fox who was baring its teeth as if wondering if he should sink them into Cassie's exposed forearm.Cassie, seeing this, said warningly,

"Don't you dare."

The fox slid his lips back over his sharp white teeth and held still.Rachel sighed and said, 

"Hey Cass.Do you know why Erek wants to have this little chit chat at this unholy hour before school?"

"I haven't got a clue but from what I heard from Jake, Erek sounded pretty upset."

"Where is everyone?I mean besides you and this idiot," Rachel said jerking her thumb and rolling her eyes at Marco, who at the moment was jumping off the highest bale of hay into a mound of the stuff giggling gleefully.Then, hearing Rachel's remark,

"Hey!This is seriously fun!"

Rachel rolled her eyes again at him and turned back to Cassie who had finished giving the now docile fox his meds and was now placing him back into his cage.Wiping her brow with a gloved hand, she looked up at Rachel and replied,"

They're on their way I guess." 

At that moment Jake appeared with Tobias flying overhead, he was quieter than usual.He didn't even say hi to Rachel.She noticed that Ax had not come in after Jake.Where was he?

"So what's up fearless leader?Where's Erek?" Marco asked, jumping down from the mound of hay while pulling a few pieces out of his hair.

"I don't know, but he should be here any minute." Jake replied.

"Where's Ax?" Cassie asked looking questioningly at Jake and then up at Tobias.

"Good question," Jake said looking up at Tobias too.

I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon.And I couldn't find him this morning. answered Tobias.He looked away from them and started to preen himself nervously.He was just starting on his tail feathers when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.His head snapped in the direction of the barn door.Here comes Erek.Why's he running? Tobias stated more to himself than anyone else.Then Oh my god!Everyone get out of here! He flew down from the rafters and headed for the door.Rachel and the others followed.

Rachel looked around as she made it out of the barn. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.The sky was in shades of orange, red, and deepest purple, the sun was just peeking over the mountains in the distance, and the meadow was as beautiful as ever.But as she looked at the edges of the meadow, where the green grass gradually turned into thick forest, she saw Erek.He was running toward them flailing his arms frantically in the air and yelling for them to run.That's when Rachel saw why Tobias had yelled.There were about fifty Hork-Bajir appearing out of the forest behind Erek.They each held a dracon beam.She glanced at the others who, by the way they were staring around confusedly, had not yet seen the incoming Hork-Bajir.She was about to yell for them to start morphing when a gust of warm air and a dark shadow passed over them.She looked up to see a bug fighter flying overhead.It stopped moving when it reached the barn.

RUN GUYS RUN! Tobias shouted as the bug fighter took aim at the red building.

That snapped them out of their trance.Rachel was the first to come to her senses.

"Move it! Now. Run!" she shouted pushing Cassie to get her moving.She started running towards the woods.

"No!Hork-Bajir are in there.Tobias?Where can we go?" Jake asked in a tight but urgent voice as he noticed the controllers leaving the cover of the forest.

Follow me!Over here guys! Tobias said and flew off in the opposite direction of the bug fighter and the Hork-Bajir.

Jake took the lead with Marco, Cassie, and Rachel following suit.Jake heard the bug fighter's dracon cannon change it's aiming direction.He chanced a look back and with a wave of black fear, saw that it was aiming at them.

"RUN GUYS!They're aiming at us," he shouted, and ran faster still.He glanced to look at the others and saw that Cassie and Marco were falling behind and saw Rachel trying to push them to go faster.

Rachel could see Cassie tiring; starting to slow down.

"Oh no you don't!Keep running Cassie!" she shouted and grabbed her hand and pulled her ahead of her.She heard Jake yell,

"Over there!Get to those boulders!"

The Bug fighter was right above them now.It aimed . . . 

Rachel felt the air fill with electricity.She saw Jake's hair stick up and felt her own do the same.She heard a loud buzzing as she passed a huge oak tree.

The bug fighter fired . . .

TSWWWWWW!

BOOM!!!!!!

A wave of intense heat blew over Rachel and she heard the tree explode behind her. She felt herself being flung into the air, felt something hard and solid hit her in the back of the head, and then knew no more.

She awoke with the feeling of cold dirt pressing against her face.Blinking copiously, she lifted her head, which now felt as heavy as lead, and saw that she was sprawled across Cassie's lower back.She gripped the ground with her hands and rolled herself off of her.She tried to push herself up.As she did, the gritty floor beneath her felt less like nice solid, flat ground, but more as if she were inside a carnival fun house mirror.With the ground moving under foot it gave her the feeling of in vertigo.It felt as if the ground was slipping from beneath her. Despite this, she made it to her feet.This small accomplishment however, did not last long for as soon as she had stood completely erect her head started to pound and her vision blurred.Rachel swayed on the spot and put her hands on her head to stop the spinning.As soon as her hand touched her head she snatched it back.Her head had been soaked with something warm and sticky.She glanced down dazedly at her hand and saw that it covered in blood.With this sight not really registering in her mind, she glanced around to see where she was exactly.Through blurred vision Rachel vaguely noticed that she was in some kind of dark cave, with glistening wet walls and that had a smell of old earth. She blinked again several times, trying to clear her eyesight.Little black dots that had been dancing only at the edge of her vision began to close in on her entire eyesight.At that, she felt her knees buckle under her and she fell backward.She hit the ground with a thud and rolled onto her side. Through squinting eyes and fading consciousness, she saw Cassie sit up with a groan.

Cassie rubbed her eyes and looked around.She saw Jake and Marco beginning to stir.They were sprawled on the strange dirt floor.No sign of Rachel.A wave of fear passed through her with a single thought.Oh god, have they been captured? Did Rachel get cornered and, rather than being captured, fought to the death?She suddenly wanted, needed to be on her feet.She put her hand behind her to push herself up when she heard a groan and felt something soft but solid.Cassie spun around and saw Rachel lying on her back with her eyes half closed.With horror she also noticed a pool of blood surrounding Rachel's head.

"Oh my god!" Cassie cried.She twisted all the way around, now completely facing Rachel.She took her limp hand in her own and checked for a pulse.There was a faint beating. She gave it a squeeze.At this, Rachel stirred.Her eyes fluttered open just a little.

"Ca. . .Cassie?" Rachel said in a hoarse whisper.

"Rachel!Oh thank god you're awake!Listen to me, you need to morph, now."

"I ca. .c. . . can't.I.. so tired.Sleep now," Rachel said as her eyes began to close once more.

"No!",

"Rachel, Rachel!Look at me!No don't sleep.You need to MORPH!Please."

Rachel's eyes opened a bit more. She knew she should morph, but she felt so tired and couldn't concentrate on anything for more than a few moments.She felt so tired maybe she would just rest for a while.No!She would not fall asleep!She tried to roll onto her stomach.The moment she moved a white-hot pain shot through her head.She groaned and fell back and the black dots at the edges of her vision closed in once more.

Cassie caught her and lifted Rachel up so she could sit up a little. "NO!Rachel don't go!Morph! Come on Rach, morph and you'll be okay," Cassie pleaded desparately.Rachel's body sagged in her arms.Cassie screamed and began sobbing.

Jake stirred and his eyes fluttered open.He groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position.He felt moist dirt press into his palm and breathed in the musty air.He blinked and looked around.He came to his senses with a start as he noticed his dark cave-like surroundings.He was just starting to panic, wondering where the others were when he heard and saw a sobbing and pleading form across from him.He saw the person look towards him.

"Jake!Help me.Oh god, please help me!" Cassie sobbed looking back at Rachel.

Jake ran over towards her and knelt beside Rachel's limp and blood soaked form.He grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse.There was one but it was very weak.

**_TO BE CONTINUED . . ._**

**_ _**

**__**_A/N: I got stuck after I finished that last line.If you have some ideas where I can take this please tell me because I think this could be a good story.I hope you enjoyed! __J___


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